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Thursday, September 1, 2011

A birthday celebration…

Today we celebrate….HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY, KELLY! It’s my younger sister’s birthday and we are excited to be celebrating with her today. This year the girls wanted to give her a gift with a little personal touch, so we made her a basket full of chocolate goodness. There was chocolate biscotti to go with her organic breakfast blend coffee (she needs a little caffeine to keep up with her precious little son!), brownie mix, dark chocolate crisps, and chocolate covered “powerberries”…what woman doesn’t need a little extra power in her day?!!

My birthday is slowly quickly creeping up on me this month as well and, unfortunately, I’ll be a lot older than 25. However, my daughter informed me this morning that I will have the best birthday ever this year because it is on the first day of Fall.

I cup all-purpose gluten free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill – or you can sub in any whole grain flour)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp xanthum gum (omit if not using a gluten free flour blend)

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 “flax” egg (1 Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water)

1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

1 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup raw, sliced or chopped almonds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the “flax” egg and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a medium sized bowl mix together the wet ingredients (carrots, vanilla, oil, maple syrup, and flax egg). Add wet to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the raisins and almonds.

Scoop mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray. You can scoop out about a 1/4 cup mixture to make 6 large “cookies.” Or you can scoop by tablespoons full to make a dozen smaller “cookies.”

Bake for 25 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Nourishing Thought for Today:

Today our family took the time to honor and celebrate my sister. In fact, we were all eager and anticipating the time when we could praise her for her accomplishments this year, shower her with gifts, and indulge in lots of sweet temptations! I am reminded that this is the kind of “eagerness” I need to bring to the Lord each day. As soon as I get up each morning, knowing that my Creator is waiting to enjoy the day with me should give me the energy I need to get out of bed and celebrate! When we honor Him first, He has a way of honoring our time and helping us to be more productive in our day.